Electric iron.



C. N. LEWIS ELEczmc IRON.

APPLICATION flLED AUGJ. l9l7. 1,293,818. f

Patented Feb. 11, 1919 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

C. N. LEWIS.

ELECTRIC IRON.

I APPLICATION. FILED AUG. I. 19|?. A 1,293,818.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Feb. 11, '1919.'

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEETcE.

CYRIL LEWIS, OF RIDGEFIELD PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 FRANCES ROCKE- EELLER KING, OF NE'W YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC IRON.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, CYRIL N. LEwis, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Ridgefield Park, county of Bergen, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful .Improvements in Electric Irons, of which the following is a specification, reference being h ad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention rela-tes to electric heating appliances, and particularly to electric irons for household, laundry and like purposes.

One object of my invention is to provide a simple and improved iron of the character above indicated that shall embody means for automatically interrupting thecircuit of the heating element when the iron is not in use, together with means for preventing arcing .at the contacts `of the automatic interrupting switch.

Another object of my invention is to provide an iron having a handle which is unencumbered by auxiliary switch actuating members but which is adapted to close the circuit of the heating element when downward pressure is exerted upon it as is naturally the case when the iron is in operation. The iron is nevertheless arranged to avoid tampering and improper adjustments which would tend to render the automatic circuit interrupter ineffective.

It has furthermore been my aim to produce the aforesaid objective results in a compact structure which can easily -be taken apart for the purpose of eecting necessary repairs.

In order that my invention may be thoroughly understood I will now proceed to describe the same in the following specification, and then point out the novel features thereof in appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation showing the body of the device in section, of an electrically heated iron'arranged and constructed in accordance with my invention and constituting an embodiment thereof.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View of the iron shown in Fig. 1 with the base plate of the iron removed.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the base plate, and

Fig. 4: 4is a partially sectional elevation Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led August 1` 1917.

looking at the heel of the iron and showing the circuit terminals.

Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing the circuit relation between the electric heater, the automatic switch, and a condenser which is utilized for prevent-ing arcing at the terminals of the switch.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, of the drawings, 10 designates the base of the iron having a smoothing surface 11 on the bottom, and a recess 12 formed in the top. A lug 13 eX- tends upwardly from the base and is provided with a tapped hole 14 to receive a clamping bolt as hereinafter explained. An electric heating element designated 15 is mounted in the recess 12 and is insulated from the base by some suitable mass or structure 1G vof insulation which is adapted to insure the rapid transfer of heat from the electric heating element to the base.

The form of the heating element forms no part of my present invention and any suitable structure may be substituted for that illustrated.

In addition to the base the iron comprises a shell 17 which fits onto a chamfered edge 1S of the base and is indented at the heel of the iron to form terminal plates or faces 19.

The shell has a pair of downwardly eX- tending lugs 20 and 21 on its interior surface, which constitute supports for a condenser 22. The condenser is held in position by a transverse clamping plate 23 and screws 2l which extend through the plate and are threaded into the shell, on opposite sides of the condenser as shown in Fig. 2.

A relatively rigid switch arm 25 is secured to and insulated from the clamping plate 23, by a screw 26 and an insulating u asher 27, and carries an adjustable contact screw 28 which is screwed into a tapped hole in the switch arm and is held in position by a lock nut 29. It has a contact point 30 which may be formed of German silver, platinum or some other suitable material. A resilient switch arm 31 is atlixed to a terminal 32 mounted on the terminal plate 19 and extends backwardly so that a movable switch contact 33 is in position to engage the stationary contact 30. The movable contact 33 is composed of one section or stem 34 which is rigidly athxed to the handle tric heating element 15 is interrupted as4 yoke 35 of the iron, an insulating block 36, and a Contact section designated The complete device constitutes a projection from the handle yoke which extends through a hole 37 in the shell 17.

39 designates the handle of the lron whlch is preferably made 'of wood and is secured to the yoke 35 in the usual manner. The yoke has a pair of spaced lugs '40 and 41 whlch are perforated to receive the upper ends of a pair of sleeves or bushings 42 and 43 which tit therein. A bolt 44 extends downwardly through the bushing 42 and is screwed into a tapped hole 45 in the shell 17. The bolt 4'6 extends through the bushing 43 through a hole 47 in the movable switch arm 31 and is screwed into the tapped hole- 14 in the base. 1

The bushings are surrounded by springs 48 and 49 which press upwardly on the handle yoke 35 and tend to hold the yoke in lts elevated position against the heads of the bolts 44a-nd 46.

In this position of the handle the actuating switch projection 33 separates 4the switch contacts so that the circuit through the elechereinafter explained. Y,

The spring tension is such that the downward pressure which is normally exerted on the handle when the iron is in use compresses the springs 48 and 49 and closes the automatic switch.

The actuator projection 34 is back of the center of the iron, being closer to the bolt 46 than it is to the bolt 44. This is for the purpose of insuring that the switch is closed when a downward pressure is exerted on the handle at the back even if no considerable pressure is exerted nearthe front of the handle. I

Thus the apparatus is arranged so as to close the switch under the most natural pressure of the hand of the user.

I furthermore refer to make the spring 49 somewhat .stiiibr than the spring 48 in order that the handle may be more apt to move up and down without binding at the bushings 42 and 43 on which it is slidably mounted.

The terminals of the electric heating element 15 are designated 50 and 5l and yextend upwardly through insulating bushings 52 and 53. The terminal 50 is Vadapted to be connected to a terminal binding post 54 to which one line conductor 55 is also connected. The other line conductor 56 is connected to a terminal binding post 58 which is connected to the 'binding post 32 by a connector 59. lThe terminal`51 of the heater unit extends through the bushing 53 and is connected to a. binding post 60.

The terminals 61 and 62 of the condenser 22 are respectively posts 60 and 58.

scope of my invention,

connected to the binding The binding posts are mounted on and insulated from the terminal plates or surfaces 19.

- The heel of the iron is provided with a removable cap 63 which is fastened to the shell 17 by screws 64 and has an outwardly extending hollow lug 65 through which a flexible cord 66, or other suitable line conductor may extend.

Attention is directed to the fact that the condenser, the automatic switch and all of the terminal and control parts are mounted on the shell 17 whichV may be readily detached from the base 10. This is accomplished by bolt 46 and disconnecting-the terminals 50 and 5l of the electric heating element.- Y

It is therefore evident that in case it is necessary to repair or renew the heating element, the base can very quickly be removed and a new one substituted therefor.

The switch terminal screw 28 constitutes a convenient means for adjusting the switch contacts, but therev is no possibility of any adjustments being vmade without taking the iron apart and in fact the iron is particularly intended and adapted for general use since the danger of improper manipulation is practically eliminated.

To initially heat the iron it 'is preferably placed on a stand which is provided with means for holding the handle in a depressed position but it is .evident that it is .practically impossible to annul the automatic switch since the handle cannot be fastened in a depressed position except when the iron is mounted on the stand. I have not illustrated a stand since these are broadly old and form no part of my present invention.

Referring to Figs.. 5 and 6, in which the terminals are designated by vthe same referencecharacters as in the previous gures, the 'circuit may be traced from line conductor 56 to binding post 58, then in two parallel paths, one through condenser 22 to binding post 60, the other to binding post 32 and through switch contacts 30 and 33 to the binding post 60. From this point circuit is completed .through the heating element 15 to binding post 54 to which the conductor is connected. It is thus evident that the condenser is connected in shunt relation to the switch and consequently no arc is formed when the switch is opened. The entire line is interrupted when the iron is disconnected from the line as for example, by means of a wall switch or by pulling the contact'plug from the socket.

Variations in size and arrangement of parts may be 'effected within the spirit and and I intend that only such limitations be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An electric iron 'comprising a base, a

shell, a handle member, a switch mounted independently of the base on the interior of the shell, means for yieldingly connecting the handle to the shell, means for actuating the switch when the handle is depressed, and means' for preventing arcing at the switch terminals.

2. An electric iron comprising a base, a shell, a handle member, a switch mounted independently of the base on the interior of the shell, means :for yieldingly connecting the handle to the shell, means for actuatin the switch when the handle is depressed, an an arc absorbing means connected in shunt relation to the switch.

3. An electric iron comprising a base, a shell, a handle member, a switch mounted independently of the base on the interior of the shell, means for yieldingly connecting the handle to the shell, means for actuatin the switch when the handle is depressed, an a condenser secured to the interior of the shell and connected across the terminals of the switch.

4. An electric fiat iron comprising a base, a heating element attached to the base, a shell removably secu-red to the base, a condenser mounted on the inner wall of the she1l, a switch having a stationary contact supported on the condenser and a yielding contact adapted to coperate therewith, a handle, and means dependent on the handle for actuating the switch.

5. An electric flat iron comprising a base, a heating element attached to the base, a shell removably secured to the base, a condenser mounted on the inner wall of the shell, a switch having a stationary contact supported on the condenser and a yielding contact adapted to coperate therewith, a handle yieldingly mounted on the shell and having a downwardly extending projection adapted to actuate the switch within the shell.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of July, 1917.

CYRIL N. LEWIS. 

